Giants among men
by Just-a-moment
Summary: Size had never mattered to Bobby before...not until now. Chapter 1: 'Blind Spot' post ep. Bobby POV Chapter 2: 'Siren Call' post ep Eames POV
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I got a chance to watch Blind Spot again and couldn't get this out of my head. Consider this a five month anniversary post-ep. :) **

He'd never really noticed her size before, at least not after the first day. Not after she'd stood toe to toe with him in their first argument, not afraid to back down, not afraid to be as big as he was.

It was something he'd never really found in a partner until she'd come along. All the others grew still and quiet when he blew up, almost as if they hoped he wouldn't notice that they were still standing in his vicinity. Or they'd puff up their chests and meet him tone for tone, like they were trying to equal his strength and his size. But with Eames, it usually only took one word, _Bobby_, spoken in that tone that he hated, to make him stop for a moment. There were times, many times over the last six years that he'd then go on, but in a way that she understood. A way she could fight fairly with her own arguments and her own reasoning. It was a way that she won over half the time.

Bobby had heard murmurs around the squad room during that first year they'd been partnered together. Whispers that he wasn't the only one who had had trouble keeping partners. People avoided him for his mind, for his methods. But they avoided being with Eames for her size. More of the traditional cops fears that a woman like Eames would never be a good '6' for them, would never be able to be relied on for the true physical backup that partners sometimes needed.

But he knew that those who feared being her partner had never seen her in action like he had. They'd never seen her take down men twice her size who had managed to slip past him.

Together, he knew, they made the perfect cop, the perfect team. He had the strength and the intimidation factor. But she _was_ the strength and the balance. He was brains and she was the reason. Bobby was able to push the envelope because he knew she could bring him back. He used his mind to surprise people, to undermine them. And she used her size. Their eyes wandered in fear of the big cop, not the small one. And she was always ready to prove that assumption wrong if necessary.

Her size was clear to him now; her small hands were bruised and dwarfed by the thick bandages around her wrists. Her feet seemed to reach only halfway down the bed, heavy blankets heaped over them, making them barely noticeable lumps in the bedding.

Because of Jo Gage, Bobby realized just how fragile his Eames could be now. He'd never feared for her before, never worried about her on the job. The only things that could've taken her down in his mind were the same things that could fell him if given a chance.

It was the blood on the floor of her house that had driven the point home for him. He knew she'd been taken but he figured she'd been drugged, not overpowered. The scarlet stain on her carpet told him otherwise. But he only allowed it to trip him up for a moment, and that had been quickly covered by warning Ross not to step in it. Only Eames would've seen through him at that moment. Only she would've known that it was the fear that had made him pause.

Nevertheless, his eyes had been opened and he knew this would change things for him, for them. He'd struggled to keep it from showing in his face as he'd approached her bed. She wouldn't gain anything the sympathy, wouldn't want him to be further tripped up by the guilt. As she had mentioned in the past, it bothered her that he took on _their_ problems, their emotional baggage. And it would upset her to know some of that guilt now had her name on it. It would be a weight that he would suffer in silence, a weight that he had earned even though she fought her way back to him.

She slept fitfully; her previous waking moments had been filled with whispered bits of the nightmares she didn't want to share but couldn't hold inside any longer. The splinters of her memories had made her voice quiet and brought the tears back to the surface. Ignoring his urges for her to let it out, she'd closed her eyes in embarrassment and whispered that she wished she could disappear, that she could shrink and fall through the vents in the floorboard. That she could hide. As he brushed her hair away from her face, he'd thought that it'd be a lot more possible now than it'd ever been. Now that he'd seen her true size.

And when she came back, his biggest concern was that she would see it too. That she would be too aware of her stature and that it would be the one thing that could truly defeat her.

If that moment came, he'd be ready to convince her, to lie if necessary, to tell her that she was still big in his eyes. That she was still his 5'2" Goliath that he trusted more than anyone else to back him up.

And once he'd convinced her of that, he'd hide the fact that he was keeping an extra eye on her. That his breath would catch every time she was near danger and that he'd never hesitate to get her out of a situation. That his feelings had broadened into an area that even he didn't want to analyze.

But none of that mattered right now. He had his partner back. He'd ignored the attempts of his mentor and he'd held onto his hope. And Bobby knew, as he took her hand and gripped it between his, that he'd hold onto her for as long as it took. As long as she'd let him.

They'd stand together again. Strong again. Giants among men.

* * *

** Continue? Or better as a one-shot?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Consider this a post-ep to "Siren's Call". Reivews were mixed as to whether continue this, and when it came down to a question of my sanity (it wouldn't leave me alone) and possibly ruining a good one piece, I decided to go ahead and continue it. If it would be better seperated, just tell me:) Eames POV turn. **

It'd taken six years for Alex to decide that Bobby was an idiot. Even if just for the moment. She drove them silently back to the station from the suburbs. He was hurting, she knew but she couldn't get herself to say anything more than asking if he was okay. And his lack of answer provided the real response.

He'd lost this one, this round between his mind and the problems of the perp. He'd gained some major ground at first, although it would've been a bittersweet victory, but then the cop turned murderer took it into his own hands. And the battle was lost.

If she was the vindictive sort, she'd claimed it was really all a game to him. But she knew how he felt the losses, each one digging in like lashes from a whip. And each one leaving a scar that he'd forever carry.

Those were the situations that made him Bobby. The situations that many times proved his brilliance to the world. Proved his status as a top MCS detective.

But it was his treatment of her that made him an idiot.

She knew he thought he was being smart about it, sneaky. He had his gracefulness sure, but with her, he'd always end up showing his slight of hand.

He had shorted his strides and always stepped in first now. His eyes wandered over her more often now, checking for fear or fatigue or whatever other emotion might warrant him to speak up. And he'd talked her way out of the room, away from the gun held by a perp. He'd willingly given up his possible safety to insure hers. And while most women might find that appealing, it just pissed Alex off.

He must not trust her anymore, must not want to have her as his partner. Bobby had finally given in to believing the questioning looks from others in the squad room.

Of course, he was welcome to his moments of doubts. She'd certainly had hers, enough so that she debated leaving him. But she'd never let it affect her behavior, affect their environment.

He'd done more than let it change his behavior; he'd let it challenge their partnership by sending her out of the room. They worked best when together, when able to read each other's body language and able to talk the perp into a corner. But because this one had a gun pointed at her, he'd made the decision to go it alone. He'd sent her away.

And it's why when they arrived back at 1PP, she quietly left him behind in the SUV. He paused as she shut off the engine, as if to speak but with usual Bobbyness, the pause simply grew into what could be a long moment of silence. And she just didn't have the patience for it at the moment. So she slid out of her own seat and shut the door softly behind her.

His head was still visible in the car when the elevator doors closed. She'd won in the moment, but the victory seemed a loss of its own. Before, he'd have never let her go without coming after her with probing questions.

It was a good ten minutes later when he finally walked into the bullpen and she spared him a glance as he set down. There was an open fatigue in his face that she hadn't seen in a while; that he hadn't let her see in a while. And as she looked at him, she realized that with his mother, and with her and with this case, that Bobby must be far past overextended. It was when she started to feel sorry for him that she got up from her desk and walked away without a backward glance.

He wouldn't want the sympathy and it wouldn't do him any good. Maybe she was to blame for some of the stress in his life, but hers wasn't without its own problems. Returning to work was going to be her escape from them, from the nightmares and the moments of panic. She'd craved the normalcy and the warmth that she found when she was on the job and with her partner. And she'd hoped that the tragedy of their cases would help remind her that she really was lucky, because she had survived.

But what she'd found was a partner who acted differently, a captain who questioned her return and a first case that clarified things for her right off the bat. Things had changed and the distraction she'd sought only made her question herself more.

Was she really ready to be back? Was it good or bad that the gun she'd held more than once in the last few days didn't make her feel any safer? She missed the days when her biggest fear was being shot on the job.

A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped away from the soda machine. Her eyes found Bobby, standing with his hand and an eyebrow both raised as he studied her. Cursing her reaction, she turned back with a sigh. They were both silent as she selected a soda she didn't actually want and only when she had it in hand did she look back up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Can we…talk?" He nodded toward the interrogation rooms down the hallway and she shrugged as an answer. He'd apparently found the words he'd been searching for in the car and she didn't have the energy to be pissed at him for the moment. The observation room was empty and she walked in first when he opened the door.

Leaning against the wall nearest the mirror, she waited for him to speak. After a few sighs and half a stride of pacing, he finally turned to her. The questioning look in his eyes put her on guard.

"Tough case." He rubbed his hand over his face but glanced at her again underneath his fingers.

Opening the can of soda, she gave another shrug. "They can't all end well."

"I just…didn't think he could do that. Give up like that."

"He was desperate. You saw that."

Bobby nodded, his eyes focused on the wall just above her shoulder. "This case…it bothered you." His gaze was on her again, gauging her reaction.

Alex knew she was in a Bobby style interrogation now, the type that he did automatically and probably didn't even realize he was doing now. So she tried to brush it off. "I wasn't in the room with him, Bobby."

"And that bothered you."

"Bobby…"

"I needed you on the outside. To…remind him there were people out there. That his little girl…was out there."

Pacing to the other side of the room, Alex set her can down hard before turning back to him. "No, _you_ needed me out of that room."

As her voice echoed slightly, he just remained silent, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes on the table behind her. Shaking her head with disgust, she moved past him toward the door. "Look Goren, if you've got a problem with me being your backup, than at least be straightforward about it."

At his continued silence, she reached the door. Her hand was on the knob when his response finally burst out.

"You hesitated." It was said in the tone of voice that Bobby reserved for comments he never wanted to say. He stepped toward her then. "At his office near the waterline, when I signaled to you…you hesitated."

"Maybe I didn't understand. I don't remember."

He shook his head with a sigh. "Understanding wasn't the problem, acting was. You're not ready, Eames."

"I think that's up to me to decide."

"No." He rubbed his hand over the back of his head. "It's too soon. You're not ready…"

She stepped toward the door again but his hand on her shoulder stopped her. Turning, she pushed it away and brushed past him to the center of the room, sudden anger simmering in her gut.

"You're right, I'm not ready. I'm not ready to sit alone all day in that house." The admission slipped out before she realized what she was saying and the short moment before Bobby spoke let her know that he didn't miss it either.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Because you didn't seem the type for slumber parties." She turned toward him then, giving him a small smile that he didn't return.

"No, but I do have a spare room."

Alex forced a laugh then, sliding up to sit on the table. "That'd be great. Either it'll make me look like a scaredy-cop or they'll assume other reasons for me staying there."

"It doesn't matter what they assume. Wait…scaredy-cop?" Bobby wrinkled his forehead at her.

"My brother's term. For cops that don't quite cut it."

"That's not you, then."

She smiled at that, knowing that that was how he'd felt before everything had happened. But how could he still feel that way? "Yeah, well, half the cops on the force might disagree."

"Why?"

"Why do you think I was on vice, Bobby? Because they'd rather use me as bait than trust me as their real partner."

A sound came from him then, something between a sigh and a laugh and he tilted his head at her, raising his eyebrows. "Then they're idiots, Eames."

"But you're doing the same damn thing."

"No, I-"

"I don't need a goddamn handicap to play on your level, Goren."

Instead of reacting in defense as she'd expected, he just looked at her quietly and after a long moment, he gave her a small smile. "No, you're one of the few who never have."

And the honesty in the answer caught her off guard. So she covered her surprise by sliding off of the table and stepping toward him. "Then cut it out."

"When you're ready, I will."

She pointed her finger at him. "Bobby, I'm not going back on leave."

Raising his hands in the air, he shook his head. "No, but let's just take it slow."

"This is Major Case, Goren, not riding a damn bike."

"And you're more than ready to investigate. Just trust me to handle the rest." His voice was calm in response to her anger, which just made it more frustrating. Why couldn't he have a fight like everybody else?

"Why can't you just let things go back to the way they were?!"

When he turned away, she thought she had him, thought she'd cornered him, but the intensity on his face when he faced her again proved her wrong.

"Because I'm not ready to risk losing you again! Not to hesitation or anything else. You want to be back, I understand that. But until you are one hundred percent back, I'm not letting you get in over your head."

. He wasn't giving up on her. And she should've realized that from the moment he'd handed her the keys again. She'd forgotten how good it felt to know she was being taken care of

The whole day she'd been letting herself misunderstand the little things he was doing for her. She'd let her own fears skew her judgments. And it had thrown her off, them off. Sighing, she opened her eyes again and found that Bobby was still watching her warily.

"I'm sorry. I just…"

"You thought I was questioning your abilities." He nodded then at her lack of answer. "You'll get back there. Give it time."

Alex simply tilted her head in an agreement of sorts, not sure how to respond. And after a moment of silence, he gestured toward the door. "Let me buy you dinner. We can celebrate your first case back. And then, if you want to, we can go back to your place and you can pack a bag."

"Dinner, I'll take. But I'd like to give my house another try."

"I can take the couch." He held open the door for her and she walked through, laughing softly.

"Yeah, just what I need to scare away the bad guys. A snorin' Goren in my living room."

He smiled fully then, shaking his head as he led the way to their desks. "Whatever works."

"I'll just bring the popcorn to your house if I need to."

"Popcorn?"

Slipping her jacket on, she grinned. "Yeah, if you're lucky, you'll be introduced to the ways of a slumber party."

With a laugh, he grabbed his leather case and nodded toward the door. "Let's go eat."

"Chinese?"

"You always want Chinese."

"Okay, we'll compromise with Thai."

The flash of humor in his face made her laugh again. "What a compromise."

"You're buying, I choose."

"Fine, but I get to pick next time."

"Italian it is next time, then." She pulled her keys out as they reached the parking garage and caught him giving her another look.

"Eames, you making my choice for me now, too?"

"You're predictable, Goren."

"We'll see." He climbed in on his side with another grin and fastened his seat belt. Alex started the car and caught him giving her another look. They shared another smile and she drove them out of the garage.

Things weren't going to be normal again, she realized. But then what was normal? Being with Bobby wasn't ever what anyone expected and yet at the same time, now that she understood it, she found the comfort in it again. He was always the exception to the rule and for once, maybe he was right.

He had the confidence in her that she hadn't found yet in herself. She'd be able to get back to it, get back to what she was. And then they'd be back to what they were. Until then, maybe she'd learn to enjoy knowing that she didn't always have to taken care of it all herself. Her partner would still be there to back her up. Even when she didn't realize she needed it.

* * *

**Again, split. If continued, would make into a storyline piece (casefile with B/A). But is it better left as is?**


End file.
